Today marks the 72nd anniversary of our precious NHS, appreciated and valued this year perhaps more than ever. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, health and social care workers have been on the frontline caring for vulnerable people and saving lives.
I pay tribute to their tireless work, and my thoughts are with the families of the health and care workers who have tragically lost their lives to coronavirus. Shamefully, the Government’s testing regime has been poorly planned and slow to scale up to the challenges of the virus. This left far too many health and social care workers exposed and allowed the virus to rapidly spread through care homes.
Last week, I called on the Minister to bring forward to meaningful reform needed to ensure staff are properly paid and to take action to give care homes and providers access to frequent, regular testing.